Environment news

• UK to slash emissions by 68% by 2030, as part of Paris Agreement NDC

  03-12-2020 23:32
  
  The UK Government will aim to reduce emissions by 68% by 2030, as part of a domestic action plan that will deliver the nation's contribution towards the Paris Agreement and limiting global temperature increases to well below 2C and build towards net-zero by 2050.
  
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• Puerto Rico: The moment the Arecibo Observatory telescope collapsed

  03-12-2020 21:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Video shows one of the world's largest telescopes at Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory crashing down.
  
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• China's Chang'e-5 mission leaves Moon's surface

  03-12-2020 18:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The robotic probe lifts off from the lunar surface carrying samples of rock and dust to send to Earth.
  
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• Gaia 'discovery machine' updates star catalogue

  03-12-2020 18:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The world's most productive astronomical facility releases its third big tranche of sky data.
  
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• Art Basel Miami 2020: climate change concerns dominate unusual year

  03-12-2020 18:19 via theguardian.com
  
  This year’s mostly virtual art fair is filled with environmental artwork with a sole purpose: to drive those in power to act before it’s too lateIt’s usually that time of year when celebrities and art aficionados descend upon Miami for the city’s edition of Art Basel, a week of art fairs, parties and VIP guestlists. But this is no normal year.Things have gone mostly digital (welcome to the viewing rooms), and with a surge in Florida’s rising Covid-19 cases, most of
  
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• Amazon rainforest rock art 'depicts giant Ice Age creatures'

  03-12-2020 17:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Researchers say the paintings in modern-day Colombia are believed to be about 12,000 years old.
  
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• Atlas reveals birds pushed further north amid climate crisis

  03-12-2020 16:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Data from 120,000 birdwatchers in 48 countries shows forest birds have expanded their range while area occupied by farmland birds has shrunk Europe’s breeding bird populations have shifted on average one kilometre north every year for the past three decades, likely driven by the climate crisis, according to one of the world’s largest citizen science projects on biodiversity.The European Breeding Bird Atlas (Ebba2) provides the most detailed picture yet of the distribution of the cont
  
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• Sustainability Leaders Awards 2021: Shortlist of finalists revealed

  03-12-2020 14:09
  
  It's been another record-breaking year of entries, our expert judges have had their say and it's now time to reveal the shortlist for edie's Sustainability Leaders Awards 2021! Drumroll please...
  
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• UK's 2030 carbon target set to disappoint green campaigners

  03-12-2020 13:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Environment groups say as Cop26 hosts UK should show leadership and set tougher goal of 75% reduction in emissionsGreen campaigners and climate experts are set for disappointment as the UK government prepares to publish its carbon target for 2030.Environmental and development groups have been pushing the prime minister to opt for a stretching target of cutting emissions by 75% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels, which would have put the UK at the forefront of developed countries in fighting the
  
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• Undercover footage at French farm shows ‘deplorable’ conditions for pigs

  03-12-2020 12:47 via theguardian.com
  
  The animals are supplied to frankfurter brand Herta and sold in supermarkets including Waitrose, which has pulled the products pending investigationUndercover footage published on Thursday appears to show pig cannibalism and other serious issues at a supplier for a Nestlé-owned brand of frankfurter sold by supermarkets including Waitrose.Waitrose has suspended the pork products by bestselling French brand Herta while it investigates. Continue reading...
  
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• CCC pushes Boris Johnson to bolster UK's 2030 climate target ahead of COP26

  03-12-2020 12:39
  
  The Climate Change Committee (CCC) is urging Boris Johnson to commit to reducing the UK's emissions by at least 68% by 2030, through its updated Paris Agreement pledge for COP26.
  
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• Huggies launches biodegradable baby wipes in step towards plastic-free goal

  03-12-2020 12:13
  
  Kimberly-Clark owned brand Huggies has launched its first biodegradable product - baby wipes which break down in landfill conditions within 15 days.
  
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• KFC to install electric vehicle chargers at hundreds of UK restaurants

  03-12-2020 11:19
  
  KFC has announced plans to install rapid electric vehicle (EV) chargers at up to 450 of its restaurants in the UK and Ireland.
  
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• Antarctic place names recognise 'modern explorers'

  03-12-2020 11:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Maps will feature peaks and glaciers named after British individuals who've advanced polar science.
  
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• Transport giants including Uber sign on to Amazon's 2040 net-zero vision

  03-12-2020 10:56
  
  Transport businesses including Uber and JetBlue have signed Amazon's Climate Pledge, which is headlined by a commitment to reach net-zero emissions across all scopes by 2040.
  
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• Nestle outlines roadmap to net-zero by 2050, backed with more than £2bn of investment

  03-12-2020 10:28
  
  Nestle has committed to halve its absolute emissions by 2030 and bring them to net-zero by 2050, and outlined plans for new investments in renewable electricity, carbon offsetting and regenerative agriculture.
  
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• We are all seeing red over the government's Green Homes Grant

  03-12-2020 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The installer told me they couldn’t do the work before the scheme expires and everyone else is fully bookedWe applied for a grant under the government’s Green Homes Grant scheme, 12 days after it started, to replace our gas boiler with an air source heat pump. We’d already signed a contract with a registered installer, CB Heating. That was five weeks ago.When I chased the scheme, I was told that high demand was causing delays. I was then contacted by the installer who told me t
  
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• Auditors slam EU for 'marine protected areas' that fail to protect ocean

  03-12-2020 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Only 1% of the 3,000 supposedly protected areas in the Mediterranean ban fishing
  Europe’s marine protected areas (MPAs), set up to prevent biodiversity loss at sea, are failing to protect the oceans according to an excoriating report from auditors.Examining actions to protect marine life over the past decade, the European court of auditors raised a “red flag” warning the EU had failed to halt marine biodiversity loss in Europe’s waters and restore fishing to sustainable l
  
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• England and Wales to ban live animal exports in European first

  03-12-2020 07:02 via theguardian.com
  
  Environment secretary hails ‘Brexit success’ for animal welfare, but poultry to be excluded and Northern Ireland exempted
  Plans to ban the export of live animals for slaughter and fattening from England and Wales are to be unveiled by the UK’s environment secretary, George Eustice, on Thursday.The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the plans were part of a renewed push to strengthen Britain’s position as a world leader on animal welfare. Conti
  
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• Country diary: fascinated by the falsehood of things

  03-12-2020 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Wenlock Edge, Shropshire: A sunbeam bends into a rainbow over the trees, fields and lanes, against the dark-light of cloudSunlight startles trees and lets small birds furtle through the ash crowns shining green-gold. The last beam breaks against a lowering sky to reveal the coming rain that would otherwise slip in through the gloaming.In this moment, the sunbeam bends into a rainbow over the trees, fields and lanes, against the dark-light of cloud. The arc passes high overhead through the remain
  
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• Foals’ keyboardist Edwin says 'tour differently' to help climate

  03-12-2020 01:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Keyboardist Edwin Congreave says musicians should stop global tours to slow climate change.
  
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• Green recovery: UK urged to accelerate 'just' transition from North Sea oil and gas

  03-12-2020 01:01
  
  With thousands of UK-based oil and gas workers on furlough and the sector's economic recovery likely to be slow, policymakers are facing calls to cap North Sea fossil fuel production and reskill communities for low-carbon industries.
  
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• 'Ditch high definition and new tech to fight climate change'

  03-12-2020 01:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists are urging people and firms to change the way they use technology to reduce emissions.
  
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• Covid crisis offers a chance to act on climate, report says

  03-12-2020 00:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change calls for green recovery from pandemicCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe devastation caused by Covid-19 presents an opportunity for countries to rebuild their economies in a way that is environmentally responsible, researchers say.“The only way you can meet the Paris agreement is by taking advantage of this moment … by combining the recovery from Covid-19 with the response to climate change,” said
  
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